Tiger is the latest and greatest version of the Mac OS X operating system. But even though it's the latest and greatest, it's still Mac OS X. In this chapter, you'll become familiar with Mac basics as beloved author Robin Williams shows you how to use the Finder, Dock, contextual menus, and keyboard shortcuts.

Tiger is the latest and greatest version of the Mac OS X operating system. But even though it's the latest and greatest, it's
still Mac OS X. In this section you'll become familiar with the basics of using your Mac in general, and the following sections
will deal more specifically with the changes that appear in Tiger.

If you haven't yet installed Tiger, please see Lessons 1 or 2. Once you've got it installed and have gone through the setup process, you're ready to start using it!

Get to Know Your Desktop and Finder

When you turn on your Mac, you'll always see your Desktop,.shown below. This is also called the Finder, although technically the Finder is the application that runs the Desktop. Whenever you see a direction that tells you to
go to the Desktop or to the Finder, this is where you need to go.

Because of the way the computer works, you might see the Desktop but not actually be in the Finder. Get in the habit of checking the application menu, as shown top-left. When you are really in the Finder or
at the Desktop, the application menu will show “Finder.”

Make sure you can get to the Desktop or Finder when necessary

As you work on your Mac, you will be using a number of applications in which you'll create your documents, but you'll often
want to go back to the Finder, which sort of acts like home base. The name of the active application, the one that's currently open and available to use (including the Finder), will always be displayed in the application
menu. Keep an eye on that menu.

To go to the Finder at any time, do one of these things:

Single-click on any blank area of the Desktop.

Single-click on any Finder window (shown below) that you see.

Single-click the Finder icon in the Dock (shown on the opposite page).